Image capturing apparatuses such as image scanners or multifunction peripherals are widely used for capturing or scanning images of documents. As known, the image capturing apparatus usually has a document feeder for successively and continuously feeding many paper sheets one by one. Next, a further processing operation such as a scanning or printing operation is performed on the documents, which are fed by the document feeder.
As known, a conventional document feeder has a sheet pick-up module arranged in the sheet feeding path and in contact with the front edges of the documents for feeding the paper sheets one by one. In addition, the document feeder has a paper release lever. In a case of having difficulty removing the jammed paper, the user may press and hold the paper release lever while pulling out the jammed paper. Since the sheet pick-up module of the document feeder is readily suffered from abrasion when it has been used for a long term, the abraded sheet pick-up module may be replaced with a new one. For example, the document feeder of a commercial available multifunction peripheral CANON DR-1210C Document Scanner includes a paper release lever for pulling out the jammed paper and a specific replacement mechanism for replacing the abraded sheet pick-up module.
The paper release lever and the specific replacement mechanism, however, increase complexity and fabricating cost of the document feeder.
In views of the above-described disadvantages resulted from the prior art, the applicant keeps on carving unflaggingly to develop an improved document feeder according to the present invention through wholehearted experience and research.